Does anyone have any ideas why my Camelia won't flower? It is 2 years old and all last summer was given a sequestrine feed at regular intervals, as the soil isn't acid enough. A smaller one which flowered last year nearby hasn't flowered either and there are no signs of buds on either. They are both watered with rain water in dry weather because the soil is so light.

Answers

Bud formation on these starts the summer before the flowers open - if the plant is in drought at that time, the buds don't form. The other cause is an east facing position - early morning sun on frosted buds in early winter causes bud drop.

Thanks Bamboo, that must be it. Our soil is very light and too well drained and even though we have a thick mulch on it, it soon gets dry. I suppose the only answer is lots of watering in summer, although if the water butts get empty, we're lost.